Press plates for heads of garment pressing machines



June- 6, 1967 J.- H. COHEN 3,323,238

PRESS PLATES FOR HEADS OF GARMENT PRESSING MACHINES Filed Oct. 25, 1965 2 sheets-Shee't l INVENTOR F 3 JEROME H. COHEN J. H. COHEN June 6, 1967 PRESS PLATES FOR HEADS OF GARMENT PRESSING MACHINES Filed Oct. 23, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JEROME H. COHEN TTORNEY United States Patent 3,323,238 PRESS PLATES FQR HEADS OF GARMENT PRESSING MACHINES Jerome H. Cohen, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor t Burtest Products Corp., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,527 11 Claims. (Cl. 38--66) This invention relates to press plates for heads of garment pressing machines. It is particularly directed to a press plate assembly for a garment pressing machine using steam.

An object of this invention is to provide a press plate assembly of the character described comprising a metal plate at the inner side of which is located a diffuser for diffusing the steam andfor insulating the metal plate from the heat of the steam.

Another object of this invention is to provide a press plate assembly of the character described in which the metal plate has a material adhered thereto which will prevent adherence of the plate to garments or threads during the pressing operation and to give a better finish to the pressed garments.

Still another object of this invention is to provide in a press plate of the character described electric heating means to be used as supplemental heating to the steam when high temperatures are necessary, as for permanent creasing.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide in a press plate assembly of thecharacter described, a metal plate which has its undersurface scraped or scratched to roughen said undersurface prior to coating it with said material so as to prevent sticking of the plate to garments during the pressing operation; to prevent creeping of the garments, and so as to aid in holding the coating to the plate.

Still another object of this invention is to provide in a press plate assembly of the character described, highly improved means to insulate the outside of the press plate all around its rim to protect the operator.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a strong and durable press plate of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, safe in use and yet practical and efiicient to a high degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

i The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,.and arrangement 1 of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a press plate assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the press plate assembly of FIG. 1 attached to the head of a steam pressing machine, and with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the press plate with parts broken away;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating a modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating another modified form of the invention, and showing the scratches in the base plate and coating thereon enlarged.

3,323,233 Patented June 6, i967 Referring now in detail to the drawings, 10 designates a press plate assembly embodying the invention.

Press plate 10 comprises a thin foraminous grid plate 11 made of a single piece of aluminum or other suitable material. Grid plate 11 comprises a bottom wall 12 and an upstanding wall 13 extending from the periphery of said bottom wall. An inwardly and downwardly bent flange 14 extends from the upper end of wall 13. Grid plate 11 is of a shape to conform to a usual pressing head 15 of known pressing machines.

Pressing head 15 comprises a top member 16 and a spaced bottom wall 17 formed with holes 17a which form chambers 18 therebetween for reception of the steam used in the pressing operation as is well known in the art. The pressing head also comprises a handle 20a. Suitable means, such as screws 1711 are provided to hold bottom wall 17 onto top wall 16.

The grid plate has curved ends and somewhat tapered sides.

The bottom wall is transversely curved with a concave underside and convex upper side. The upstanding wall 13 of the grid plate may be somewhat outwardly inclined and corrugated for rigidity all around. The longitudinal mid-section of the grid plate is straight. The sheet metal of which the grid plate is made is perforated as at 21) in transverse rows, before shaping the same. The underside of the bottom wall of said grid plate may be scratched or scraped to provide grooving 21 at its underside. Then the grooved underside of the bottom wall is coated with a layer 22 of Teflon, KEL-F or like high heat resistant material which will resist burning or melting up to 500 F. The underside of the coating 22 will have grooving 23 because of the grooving 21. The coating 22 is perforated as at 24 registering with perforations 2b in the grid plate. The grooving 21, 23 is shown in FIG. 7 but is not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

If desired, the grooving may be omitted. It has been found that the grooving when utilized aids in holding the coating 22 to the grid plate and also helps prevent creeping of the garments or cloth when being pressed.

Means is provided to diffuse the steam as it passes to the grid. To this end, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of superimposed layers 30, 31 of non-metallic fabric are mounted on the upper convex side of the bottom wall 12.

Layer 36 may comprise woven asbestos. Layer 31 may comprise woven fiberglass. Both layers are preferably impregnated with Teflon or KE'L-F or other high heat resistant material. FEP Teflon is preferable. Both layers may be made of either woven asbestos or woven fiberglass. Even when impregnated these woven fabrics will be porous to let steam through to the grid plate. Heating elements 32 may be placed between said layers or woven into said layers. The heating elements may be provided with electric current in any well-known manner and suitably electrically insulated.

Instead of metal heating elements, carbonized yarn may be woven into said layers 30, 31 or a carbonized fabric made of carbonized yarn (manufactured by Union Carbide Co.) may be utilized. The canbonized fabric may be interposed between the layers 30, 31 and supplied with electricity in any suitable manner. This electric heating may be employed where very high temperatures are desirable, as for pressing permanent creases.

Carbonized fabric may be dipped in Teflon and may be substituted for the layers 30, 31.

Springs 35 attached to clips 36 serve to mount the grid plate onto the pressing head 15 in the Well known manner, such as shown in Patent No. 2,486,740. Clips 36 may be riveted to wall 13 by rivets 37 as shown in FIG. 5.

In FIG. 5 the layers 30, 31 extend up along the inner side of wall 13, as at 30a, 31a to form a shield to protect the operator and prevent dissipation of heat. A layer 40 a of metal foil may be interposed between wall 13 and layers a, 31a. Layer .0 is coextensive with layers 30a, 31a and served to reflect heat back into the machine. Layer is attached to wall 13 by said rivets 37.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, layers 30b, 3111 similar to layers 30, -31 cover the bottom wall only, and the shield comprises separate layers 30c, 310 similar to layers 30a, 31a. A layer 40a similar to layers 40 is also used and rivets 37a similar to rivets 37 attach all of layers 30c, 31c and 40a to wall 13.

In FIG. 7 a pad is mounted on said press plate assembly. Pad 50 comprises layers 51, 52 of woven asbestos or fiberglass impregnated with Teflon or KEL-F or other high heat resistant material. Said layers stretch tight at the underside of the press plate assembly, and extend up around the outer wall 13 upon pulling the drawstring 53. The pad 50 may be held on the assembly by said drawstring 53 passing through a passage 54- formed by folding downwardly and outwardly the upper end edge portions of said layers and stitching as at 55.

Plate 17 rests on layers 30, 31 as in FIGS. 5 and 7 or on layers 30b, 31b, as in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The term high heat resistant material as used herein shall mean impregnating material which will not burn or melt under 500 F.

It will thus be seen that there is provided an article, apparatus and method in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A press plate comprising a perforated grid plate having a bottom wall provided with an upstanding peripheral Wall, means to attach said grid plate to the underside of a steam press head, means at the upper side of said bottom wall to diffuse steam passing from said head to said bottom wall of said grid plate, and electric heating means associated with said diffusing means, said electric heating means comprising carbonized material.

2. A press plate comprising a perforated grid plate having a bottom wall provided with an upstanding peripheral Wall, means to attach said grid plate to the underside of a steam press head, means at the upper side of said bottom wall to diffuse steam passing from said head to said bottom wall of said grid plate, and a coating of high heat resistant material on the underside of said bottom wall, in combination with a steam press head to the underside of which said grid plate is attached by said attaching means, and said head having means to permit steam to pass therefrom to said diffusing means.

3. The combination of claim 2, said underside of said bottom wall comprising a plurality of indentations therein, said coating of high heat resistant material filling the indentations in said undersurface, the undersurface of said coating being formed with indentations corresponding to said indentations in said bottom wall undersurface.

4. A press plate comprising a perforated grid plate having a bottom wall provided with an upstanding peripheral wall, means to attach said grid plate to the underside of a steam press head, means at the upper side of said bottom wall to diffuse steam passing from said head to said bottom wall of said grid plate in combination with a steam press head to the underside of which said grid plate is attached by said attaching means, and said head having means to permit steam to pass therefrom to said diffusing means, said diffuser means comprising high heat resistant material, and electric heating means associated with said diffusing means, said electric heating means comprising carbonized material.

5. A press plate comprising a 'fora-minous metal grid, means to attach said grid to the underside of a steam press head, and means at the upper side of said grid in face to face contact with said grid, to diffuse steam passing to the upper side of said grid, said diffusing means comprising one or more layers of heat resistant, non-metallic fabric impregnated with high heat resistant material which will not burn or melt under 500 F., in combination with a steam press head to the underside of which said grid is attached by said attaching means, with said diffuser means disposed between said grid and head, and said head having means to permit steam to pass therefrom to said diffusing means.

6. The combination of claim 5, and means at the lower side of said grid to diffuse steam passing through said grid, and comprising one or more layers of heat resistant nonmetallic fabric impregnated with high heat resistant material which will not burn or melt under 500 F.

7. The combination of claim 5, said impregnating material comprising one of the class consisting of Teflon and 8. The combination of claim 6, said material impregnating the layers of the first and second mentioned diffusing means comprising one of the class consisting of Teflon and KLF.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,486,740 11/1949 Free-man 38-66 2,490,981 12/1949 Reiss et al. 3866 2,743,541 5/1956 Schultz 38-66 2,877,577 3/1959 Jacobson 38-97 X 2,910,791 11/1959 Behrstock 3866 3,008,601 11/1961 Cahne 38-97 X 3,121,965 2/1964 McBride 3897 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PRESS PLATE COMPRISING A PERFORATED GRID PLATE HAVING A BOTTOM WALL PROVIDED WITH AN UPSTANDING PERIPHERAL WALL, MEANS TO ATTACH SAID GRID PLATE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF A STEAM PRESS HEAD, MEANS AT THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL TO DIFFUSE STEAM PASSING FROM SAID HEAD TO SAID BOTTOM WALL OF SAID GRID PLATE, AND ELECTRIC HEATING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DIFFUSING MEANS, AND ELECTRIC HEATING MEANS COMPRISING CARBONIZED MATERIAL. 